Review: Kitchen at Holmes, Marylebone
Review: Kitchen at Holmes, Marylebone
By Sara Colohan
There are restaurants you plan and book for, and then restaurants you stumble upon, and the latter tends to make for the better story. Kitchen at Holmes sits inside the Holmes Hotel on Baker Street, almost directly opposite the tube station. I had never noticed it before, but once you do, it’s hard to miss. The white picketed patio with tables outside gives way to a wide, golden-hued lounge and bar as you step inside.
The bar area has the feel of a relaxed members’ club, in the best sense. On the evening I visited, the barman greeted a couple of customers by name, and there was a general sense that certain people have long known about this place and kept it quietly to themselves. The room is warm and quietly stylish, and the art on the walls is worth noting. It’s an eclectic mix of prints and original pieces that reminded me immediately of the treasures that adorn Dean Street Townhouse walls, where the collection is dense but every piece earns its spot.
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Beyond the bar is the dining area: dimly lit, comfortable, tables well spaced. The menu has a strong fish focus but plenty for those who aren’t strictly seafood people. Starters include red prawn carpaccio and octopus, as well as a beef carpaccio. We shared a burrata, which arrived with green tomatoes and fat black olives, fresh and simply dressed. The focaccia is worth ordering — thick, soft, straight from the oven, with balsamic and olive oil on the side.
For mains, we shared a whole sea bass (£49 to share), which for two people in this part of London represents solid value. The kitchen offered to debone it, which they did neatly, and it came with lemon wedges and a tasty red salsa on the side. Clean, simple, unadulterated food all well executed. The sides impressed too: the broccoli had been done on the grill and arrived with a surprising smokiness to it, and the fries were thin and crispy and scattered with oregano, a small touch that made them noticeably better.
For wine, we asked our waiter for something light and red and left the rest to him. He brought Les Mouguettes Pinot Noir from Pays d’Oc, which was smooth and easy to drink. Pinot Noir has become so ubiquitous that quality varies wildly from place to place; this was one of the good ones.
Dessert was the Basque baked cheesecake with a bramble coulis, and again it was unfussy and exactly right.
The Kitchen at Holmes is the definition of quiet style, because the fundamentals are all there: good food, good service, a room that feels genuinely comfortable rather than styled to look it. From 11th June, the hotel’s terrace will host a London favourite, Hackney Gelato pop-up, which is another reason to make the trip. Next time you are shopping on Oxford St or Marylebone high street, you have a new little oasis to call on.
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